Nov 2013 TOK Essay Topics

1. "In the natural sciences progress can be made, but in the arts this is not possible.” To what extent do you agree?  2. “Technology both enables us to produce knowledge and limits the knowledge that is produced.” Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.  3. “Every attempt to know the world rests on a set of assumptions that cannot be tested.” Examine this proposition in relation to two areas of knowledge.  4. “Knowledge...

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What is Maths?

Is maths the language of reality? "Mathematics is the abstract key which turns the lock of the physical universe." This quote by John Polkinghorne captures the most amazing characteristic of maths: that somehow it, better than anything else, can be used to describe and explain natural phenomena. Much of physics, for example, is written in maths. Newton's F=ma or Einstein's E=mc2 are examples of equations that capture the heart of their theories....

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Science and ethics

Right & wrong in research Scientists rarely work by themselves, although scientific breakthrough may be credited for a single individual. When a scientist comes up with a new theory, many other scientists will empirically test it. Only after the scientific community accepts the theory, it will become recognized. Even the most important scientists who have created paradigm shifts have not worked alone. Newton, one of the most brilliant physicists...

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How do scientists do science?

Rules of the game Scientists try to figure out the rules behind natural phenomena. We simulated this in our "dice experiment" during the lesson. The interesting thing about this experiment was that we came up with different rules to explain the same phenomenon. This often happens in science. Of course doing real science is more complicated and involves laboratory experiments, measuring devices and teamwork with other scientists. Science is...

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What a TOK presentation looks like?

Check out this video to get an idea of TOK presentation.This is what the examiners said about it. Strengths The “talk show” format works well It is engaging and allows the presentation of opposing points of view The topic is relevant to the student The argument–counter-argument pairing shows some critical thinking Ways of knowing and areas of knowledge, for example, language, perception, history and ethics, are mentioned Weaknesses It is difficult for the knowledge issues to be addressed explicitly,...

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How to do a TOK presentation?

A TOK presentation is another important component of this course. One third of your final grade is based on the presentation, so you should really try your best. This year we have to film all our presentations and send the films to the IB for assessment, so it is particularly important that we have high quality presentations. What would a really good presentation be like? To get an idea of this we will firstly look at the assessment criteria. In...

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How to write a TOK essay?

As you know 2/3 of your final TOK grade is based on writing an essay on one of the prescribed topics. You want to get the best possible grade obviously, and therefore it is important to write a killer essay. How do you go about doing that? The most important thing about TOK essay is personal voice; it really should be your essay, a piece of evidence of your thinking. You should really try to answer the question as honestly as you can. Don't just...

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What is TOK?

What is theory of knowledge programme about?Well, I told you it would be a combination of critical and creative thinking, but what does that mean?Critical thinking means you don't take for granted what people tell you, but you ask yourself: Can I believe this idea? Is this a good argument? Should I change my mind?Creative thinking means that you don't accept the obvious first idea that comes to your mind as a solution to a problem but you brainstorm...

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